Page 69 - The Bugle 2018

Developing Afghan Special Police
Elements of A Company 4 RIFLES deployed to Afghanistan to establish and conduct an enduring Specialised Infantry task with the General Command of Police Special Units. As part of Afghanistan’s combined security transition, the Ministry of the Interior has created three additional National Mission Units to bolster the General Command of Police Special Units. National Mission Units exist to counter organised crime, the drugs trade and terrorism. The Company deployed under a NATO multi-national coalition organisation headquarters.
In order to begin training the recruits assigned to the new National Mission Units, the Special Police Advanced Training Wing was established in Mezar-e Sharif, in northern Afghanistan (adminis- tered by the German led Train, Advise and Assist Command, North). Each new National Mission Unit raised its first squadron and sent them to train in late March. A Company was tasked to advise and assist the Afghan instructors and support their training of the special police students at the Special Police Advanced Training Wing. Despite the Spec Inf providing the corner stone of the Advisory Team the group grew to include US contractors, Italian, Romanian and German soldiers, and contracted linguists.
Two 12 man Spec Inf teams and Company Headquarters progressively deployed to Afghan- istan from January 2018 reaching its full strength of 32 in March 2018. The derelict compound handed over by the Bundeswehr was rapidly modified under the supervision of the CQMS from drafty accommodation units into a functioning camp able to assure command and control, welfare, equipment storage and vehicle maintenance. The police school built in 2013 was similarly uninhab- itable without functioning services or furniture, let alone training equipment. Within weeks, through herculean efforts by the Afghan partner and by targeted use of coalition money the school became capable of supporting 300 students and staff and commencing a 6 month training programme. The Advisory Team supported the school by ensuring each logistical shortfall had a solution, and leaning in to assist when issues became critical.
The normal structure of the teams was broken to form three distinct groupings. The first element was the force protection team that comprised guardian angels and drivers who provided the safe space for training to occur. The second element was the instructor body whose responsibility was partnering with Afghan instructors and planning and delivering of training to the students. The third element was a real life support team that partnered the Afghan command structure and assured logistic support for both the company and the partner force.
Two weeks before the trainees began to arrive, the commander of the school and his deputy arrived to take command. Both the commander and his deputy were RMAS graduates which had a huge enablement to the project as a result of common language and training culture. The Afghan instructor body for the school had no formal selection or training for their role. They
NATIONAL MISSION UNITS EXIST TO COUNTER ORGANISED CRIME, THE DRUGS TRADE AND TERRORISM
did, however, have vast operational experience. With support from British instructors a training programme was proposed, agreed and resourced through close cooperation. Several Afghan instructors had previously worked with British Forces and so understood British humour which greatly accelerated rapport building.
With the school established just in time, the 230 trainees began their paramilitary training. The design was developmental progressing from core skills, to specialist skills, to collective training and finished with mission specific training. Unlike a traditional mobile training team task, this task is conducted alongside host nation force instructors. In any given lesson it would be common to see an Afghan instructor, a British instructor, an American contractor, a European coalition soldier and an interpreter. The main challenge for the SOAT instructors was to maintain cultural sensi- tivity whilst ensuring the training objectives were met. Highlights of training during the core phase were live RPG ranges, navigation exercises and communications assessments. Specialist training fell during Ramadan, so both students and instructors endured a month of early routine focussing on their specialisms, which included communicator, marksman and leadership courses. The ability of the Afghan police to start its ambitious expansion project on time generated significant senior leader interest including the Afghan Deputy Minister for Security (four star) and British Chief of the General Staff.
In July 2018 A Company conducted a graduated relief in place with R Company. Unlike a normal handover takeover which is usually
focussed on handing over an
operating area, the vital ground was the handover of long-term relationships, a training programme and training estate.
R Company took over seamlessly and will continue building on the foundations and relationships set by A Company and will see the first squadrons leave the school and begin operating with their units. Capt Thomas Legge
and Lt Thomas Farrow
SPECIALIST TRAINING FELL DURING RAMADAN, SO BOTH STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS ENDURED A MONTH OF EARLY ROUTINE
THE RIFLES
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